The Resurrection of the Lord

The Mass of Easter Day

1. Lectio

“On the first day of the week…”

A beginning disguised as an ending.

Mary Magdalene comes first.
The beloved disciple runs faster—arrives first.
Peter enters first.

And yet, curiously,
the one who arrives first
does not enter.

Why?

Was it reverence?
Was it deference to Peter’s primacy?
Or was it something far more human—

that he was not yet ready
to face what being first would require?

For to enter the empty tomb
is to leave behind
every familiar expectation.

2. Meditatio

Yesterday, we held a resurrection egg hunt
for the grandchildren.

A joyful thing—
twelve eggs,
each holding a small piece of the story.

From the Last Supper
to the empty tomb.

And yet, as the hunt unfolded,
something familiar emerged.

The race to be first.

Each child eager—understandably—
to find the next egg,
to read the next clue,
to arrive ahead of the others.

And even as we gently tried to slow things down,
the instinct remained:

Find it.
Open it.
Move on.

Do not linger.

And I saw, quite plainly,
myself.

For I, too, prefer to be first—
first to arrive,
first to understand,
first to move on.

And when I reach something meaningful,
I am already searching
for what comes next.

Rarely do I remain
with what is before me.

The empty tomb, for instance—
if I had been there—

I suspect I would have glanced in,
registered the fact,
and begun planning the next step.

But the beloved disciple pauses.

He waits.

And when he enters,
he sees…
and believes.

Which suggests that belief
may require something I resist:

Not being first—
but being still.

3. Contemplatio (Chestertonian Synthesis)

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Chesterton might say that modern man is obsessed with being first
because he has forgotten how to be last.

We race to conclusions,
to achievements,
to the next moment—

as though life were a competition
rather than a revelation.

But Easter proposes a different order.

The first day
is not about being ahead of others—
it is about being made new.

The beloved disciple arrives first—
but waits.

Peter arrives second—
but enters first.

And somewhere between the two,
truth is revealed.

For the Kingdom of God
does not reward speed—
it rewards surrender.

And perhaps the greatest irony is this:

That the one who insists on being first
may miss the moment entirely—

while the one who pauses
discovers that resurrection
has already begun.

4. Oratio

5. Actio — In Light of Laudato Si’ and Synodality

There is also the damage caused by the export of solid waste and toxic liquids to developing countries, and by the pollution produced by companies which operate in less developed countries in ways they could never do at home, in the countries in which they raise their capital: “We note that often the businesses which operate this way are multinationals. They do here what they would never do in developed countries or the so-called first world.

Laudato si’ §51

True renewal comes not from rushing forward alone,
but from walking together with patience and attentiveness.

Today, I will:

• Pause intentionally before moving to the next task.
• Give my full attention to one moment, one person, one conversation.
• Walk synodally—recognizing that faith is not a race, but a shared journey.

For communion is not only found in action—
but in shared silence.

6. Song Pairing 🎵

🎶 “Feels Like the First Time” – Foreigner🎵

7. Movie Pairing 🎬

🎬Movie: “First Man” (2018)

My Story

• Bishop Matthiesen, who rode the white horse of public activism even as he brought abusive priests into our diocese such as John Salazar—wounds that still mark us today. I spoke with him often, pleading with him to reconsider his “no regrets” about bringing those priests here…
• Bishop Yanta, who sought to enforce the Dallas Charter even when Bishop Matthiesen resisted him, and who bore the personal and pastoral cost of doing so. I met with Bishop Yanta about Bishop Matthiessen’s “no regrets” stance. He listened. He believed me. He acted where he could. And when he retired, he urged me—quietly but firmly—to keep speaking out.
• Bishop Zurek, who told the Diocese of Amarillo he had “no facts” about the Philadelphia report even as Amarillo’s connection to that tragedy was headline news. When I continued to speak out, as Bishop Yanta had once urged me to do, he later wrote that I was not among the faithful and loyal disciples whom the Lord Jesus desires.
• Bishop Daniel Cardinal DiNardo…

While we recognize your thoughtful suggestion for a renewed dialogue on Bishop Matthiesen, the present circumstances do not present an opportunity for it. I think it would foster division not dialogue. We remain confident in God’s providence and hopeful for what the future may bring.

from a letter dated March 5, 2026